Peace River region introduced to the ‘Water Sustainability Action Plan for British Columbia’
City of Dawson Creek hosted CMHC sustainability workshop in 2006
Canada Mortgage & Housing Corporation (CMHC) organized and the City of Dawson hosted a workshop on sustainable development that was attended by over 30 people. Participants included a contingent from the City of Dawson Creek plus representatives from the Town of Fort St. John, Village of Chetwynd, Village of Pouce Coupe, Peace River Regional District, Peace River School District and the Ministry of Transportation.
“The audience was diverse and represented a broad cross-section of the region,” observed Lance Jakubec of CMHC, “We had elected officials from the four municipalities. In addition, we had municipal staff and community representatives such as the Dawson Creek Senior Citizens Association, Dawson Creek Chamber of Commerce, Northeast Environmental Action Team, and Dawson Creek Beautification Committee.”
Lance Jakubec was the leader of a 4-person presentation team that also comprised Allan Dobie (an architect with CMHC), Luc Delestrade (Lighthouse Sustainable Building Centre) and Kim Stephens (Program Coordinator, Water Sustainability Action Plan for British Columbia).
Local Government is the Key Player
The presentation by Kim Stephens was titled Water – Choosing Sustainability for Life and Livelihoods: An Introduction to the Water Sustainability Action Plan for British Columbia. Formerly a Vice-President with CH2M Hill, Stephens has been Program Coordinator for the Water Sustainability Action Plan since 2003. The Action Plan is being delivered by the BC Water & Waste Association through a partnership with the Province.
”One of the perspectives that I bring from my former life with a multi-national corporation is that my experience in traveling to other regions allows me to see British Columbia in context. In my view, British Columbians truly are innovative. There is a lot happening throughout this province, but the word has not been getting out. People have not been telling their stories. One of the Action Plan outcomes is to celebrate the successes that are happening on the ground,” observed Stephens.
“The Action Plan represents the integration of policy, science and applied science, technical, education and ouitreach,” added Stephens, “My contacts in other regions tell me that they are not aware of any other jurisdiction that is implementing anything comparable to what we are doing in British Columbia through Convening for Action pilot programs in three regions. Our focus is very much on-the-ground and we recognize that local government is the key player in changing the way we develop land and use water.”
To Learn More:
For the complete story on the workshop, click on City of Dawson Creek hosts CMHC Sustainability Workshop to read the article posted on the Water-Centric Planning Community-of-Interest.
Posted December 2006